Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Won-over

While the PledgeMusic campaign counts down (now over halfway there), here's some more from the deep vaults of post-punk pop history. The Grinding Halt fanzine will feature again next month, but for now, this is a review of The Distractions' gig at the Fulham Greyhound in West London in 1980.

THE DISTRACTIONS FULHAM GREYHOUND

Typically, I went all the way up to London, to discover that the support group came from Reading... they were, in fact, Modern Jazz, a light-weight, punky combo, who played a full, original and interesting set, vaguely reminiscent at different times of the Buzzards and Starjets.

Eventually The Distractions came on, and initially made little impression on an audience when, in the main, had come for a night out rather than specifically to see the group. Certainly none of the group had made much effort to look particularly captivating - especially lead singer Mike, who wore sensible shoes, smartly co-ordinated tie and trousers, the latter displaying what can only be described as a distinct flare. However, as they opened the set set with 'It Doesn't Bother Me', most people could not help out be impressed by their music which gained a lot more guts live without losing its smooth, fluid beat. Most of the set consisted of tracks from the album or singles, 'though there were a couple I did not recognise, and although I had to leave before the end, I did not get away in time to prevent my being won-over by The Distractions.

E.S.

By the way, although there are still 41 days to go, the quicker we reach the target, the quicker that Parabolically Yours becomes a reality. And remember, if you Pledge by credit or debit card, no monies are taken unless/until the target is reached (PayPal will withdraw funds immediately, but return them if the target isn't reached). More updates, including track list information, to come soon... www.pledgemusic.com/projects/thedistractions